Italy’s
Jannik Sinner produced a memorable performance in
the
Cincinnati Open and booked his place in the final of the competition. The
23-year-old, who is already regarded as one of the best players currently
playing in men’s tennis, defeated Germany’s Alexander Zverev in the semifinal
with a score of 7-6 (11-9), 5-7, 7-6 (7-4).
The win was an important one for Sinner as it gave him an assurance that he would finish the upcoming
US Open as the world number one, regardless of the result
there. The fourth and final Grand Slam of the year will begin on August 26, and players from all over the world will participate to showcase their talent
and secure the ultimate prize. The San Candido-born star, with that win, now
has 9,410 rating points, which is nearly 2,000 more than both Serbia’s Novak
Djokovic (second with 7,460 points) and Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz (third with 7,360
points).
While talking to the media after the match, the Italian
tennis star was clearly happy and stated that it gives him a lot of
satisfaction to get the better of an opponent who historically had an edge over
him, that too while playing with a slight niggle. "It means a lot to me.
It's a very different moment, what I'm going through, so I'm very happy about
this result," he said.
Sinner will now face America’s Frances Tiafoe in the final
of the competition. He defeated Norway’s Casper Ruud in the semifinal with the
score of 4-6 6-1 7-6 (7-4). It will be the fourth meeting between the two at
the highest level. In the previous three meetings, Sinner had a slight edge
with two wins and suffered a defeat in the process. Their most recent meeting
was during the Erste Bank Open in Vienna in October last year, where the reigning
world number one came out on top in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-4.